Fighting For
by gladysnotw
Summary: Risking their lives to find a private they don't even know, Captain Miller and his team are off to find the boy and bring him home. But, can he handle his own demons? His hand is mysteriously quivering and his heart is pushing towards a woman that might not even love him back.
1. Chapter 1

"So, where you from?' Upham asked, hesitantly.

Roc looked at him and she side-smiled. "Boston."

He sighed with relief. "Well, at least _some_ one here is friendly."

She chuckled. Upham had already asked the other where they were from and they all cussed him out or asked him to "drop dead". He was an obvious idiot, but she had sympathy for him.

"Hey, Up-Ham."

They both turned and saw Reiben. He had dirt on his nose and his hair was a bit of a mess.

"Every time you salute the captain, it makes him a target for the enemy. So knock it off, especially when I'm standing next to him." he said, scoffing.

"Piss off, Reiben. He's doing a little better than _you_ when you first joined this hayride." Rox said, smirking.

Reiben just rolled his eyes and kept walking with the others.

"So, I heard you're writing a book." she said, looking back at Upham.

He nodded. "That I am."

"What's it about?"

"Well, I'm not so sure. It was going to be about the bonds of brotherhood that develop between soldiers at war, but now I'm not so sure." he replied, slightly smiling.

"Why don't you go ask the captain where he's from" Reiben cut in.

"Shut up, Reiben. You're not as funny as you think." Rox said.

"Hey, cool it, will you, Roxy? Jesus, you're always ruining the fun around here." he said, shaking his head.

She punched his arm. "I told you to stop calling me that. You think you're funny?"

"Hey, quit flirting back there." Sarge scolded.

"Your name's Roxy?" Upham asked.

"Roxanne. But, don't ever call me that. Rox is fine, got it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nervously nodded. "Got it."

He looked at Reiben and back at Rox. Then, he stared at the captain.

"All right, I'll play along. Where's the captain from?" Upham asked.

"You figure that out, you've got yourself a nice prize." Caparzo laughed.

Upham grimaced. "What?"

"Over three hundred bucks, last I heard." Jackson said.

Rox gave him a smile and a small shove. He laughed and shook his head. They walked ahead together, and the captain watched them.

"Somebody must know where he's from and what he did for a living." Upham said, still on the subject.

"Somebody probably does." Sarge said.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Upham insisted.

"The captain prefers not to discuss certain aspects of his life." Jackson said, up ahead.

"I heard they assembled him out of dead GI's. That's a fact." Reiben said, spitting.

Jackson glanced at him. "You got something against the captain?"

"Hell, no. I think he's the best officer in the army." Reiben replied.

He meant it too. They all saw it and nodded in agreement. Upham noticed the captain staring at Rox and Jackson up ahead.

"Don't go too far." he said.

Rox looked back at him. "We won't."

Upham walked beside Sarge, who seemed to be the only one besides Rox who could stand him.

"They a couple?" he asked, motioning his head to Rox and Jackson.

"No, but they sure as hell act like it, huh?" Sarge laughed.

"Where's Jackson from?"

Sarge shrugged. "Forgot. Why? You jealous or something?"

Upham shook his head. "I just noticed them together a few times and noticed how she looks at him."

"Jackson likes her, but he's not sure if he likes her...you know, _that_ much."

"How do you know?"

"What are you? Stupid? He told me."

Upham just nodded. "Oh. Well, how's the captain take it?"

Sarge grabbed Upham's collar and pulled him close to his face. "Imagine the captain doing this to you, only when _he_ does it, you'll probably end up dead."

Upham stared in shock. He swallowed and nodded, understanding the message. Sarge let him go and kept walking. Upham stood for a moment, still shocked. He caught up with Sarge and cleared his throat.

"So, the captain has a... _thing_ for her?"

"Ever since he laid eyes on the girl."

"But, I never would've-"

"Neither did I when I first noticed. It wasn't even anything he said. It was just really cold out one night. We had a fire up and all that crap, and he looked at her, you see. She's shivering like a wimp and he takes off his own jacket and puts it over her shoulders, like nothing. She looks up at him, just shocked out of her mind and thanks him. Then, he says nothing, but stares into her eyes. And, that's how I knew. I just knew he cared about her. He's always asking her to stay close whenever we're out."

"So, just because he lended his jacket, he likes her? Maybe he just wants to protect her since she's the only female out in the group." Upham shrugged.

Sarge shooed him away with his hand. "If you know so much then don't ask questions! Jesus."

* * *

"What? What's he saying?" Captain Miller asked Upham.

A man had approached them, his house and family a wreck. They were covered in ash and mud and the children were crying.

"I don't know. Something about taking the children." Upham replied.

The man hands them one of his children, a little girl. She dangles over the ledge of the broken house and cries louder.

"They want us to take them." Upham said.

"What? No, we can't take the children." Miller protests.

The man dropped the girl down gently and she cries. She screams at her father and he cries too.

"They think they'll be safe with us." Upham said, looking at the family.

"It's not safe anywhere! Tell them it's not safe!" Miller ordered. "Caparzo, grab her and put her back up there now!"

Caparzo picked up the girl and carried her down. Miller watched in disbelief and Rox shook her head.

"No, what the hell are you thinking?" she asked.

"She reminds me of my niece, sir." he yelled back at Miller.

"Caparzo, put that kid back! Now!" Miller demanded.

"Captain, the decent thing to do is take her to a nearby town-"

"Forget the decent thing. The decent thing to do is put her back! She's safer here, despite the Hell going on. We can't take her." Rox said.

Sarge agreed. "You hear the captain, Caparzo. Put the kid back!"

Caparzo wouldn't budge. He held the girl like his own child as she kept crying. Her little dress was filthy and her tears kept coming. Rox shushed her gently and tried to calm her down.

Suddenly, they heard shooting and ducked down. Caparzo screamed and fell down to the muddy floor. The girl screamed and ran back to her family in tears. She climbed up and slapped her father on the shoulder, scolding him in French.

"I'm shot!" Caparzo yelled, clutching his leg.

"Where'd it come from?" Jackson yelled, as he took cover behind an old car.

"Jackson, find the shooter now!" Miller ordered as he hid behind a building with Rox.

Jackson grabbed his gun and splashed through the mud. Rox watched him go and prayed he would be safe.

Caparzo was screaming from the pain as Reiben and the other tried to find the shooter.

"We gotta get him out of here." Wade, the medic, said.

"Stay put, Wade!" Miller yelled.

Rox shook her head. "If we leave him there, he'll bleed to death."

"And if we step foot out there, we'll end up like him." Miller replied.

"Hang on, Caparzo. Jesus…" she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackson hurried across the falling rain and crouched behind a large pile of broken buildings. He blinked the rain from his eyes and readied his weapon.

Miller and Rox watched as Caparzo kept bleeding from his chest. The rain carried the blood towards them and Miller took Rox's arm.

"The damn blood's coming to us." he said, quietly.

She looked around for Jackson and whispered, "Come on."

Wade and Fish heard as Caparzo grunted, trying to speak. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter, stained with his own blood.

"Get down, Cap." Fish whispered.

"This is a letter. Copy it...mail it to my dad." Caparzo said with a whimper.

"You're gonna give to him yourself, just get down." Fish replied.

"God...oh, God, help me." Caparzo pleaded, holding out his hand.

Sarge stayed with the little girl as she continued crying. "Please, stop crying. Please, don't _. Shut_ up, please."

Rox rolled her eyes. "She can't understand you, you idiot."

"Hey, you want to babysit her? Be my guest, sweetheart." Sarge spat.

"Shut up, both of you." Miller said, hoping Jackson found something.

A gunshot answered his question. Fish laughed and stood up.

"We got him!"

Rox got up and hurried towards Caparzo. The mud splashed everywhere as she and the other ran towards him. They stopped as Wade bent down beside him.

"How bad is it?" Reiben asked.

Wade paused and shook his head. Reiben shook his head and kicked a puddle, splashing water everywhere.

" _Damn_ it."

Wade bent down and grabbed the letter from Caparzo. Miller stared down at the body and shook his head. The little girl climbed over the pieces of her house and threw herself into her father's arms. Jackson met up with the rest of them and stared at Caparzo.

"This is why we can' t take children." Miller said, coldly.

He started to walk off and Rox shook her head. "He was just trying to help."

Miller stopped and all they heard was the pouring rain for a brief moment. He turned and looked at her.

"Did him a lot of good, didn't it?" he asked, glancing back at Caparzo.

"How dare you..." she muttered, kneeling down by Caparzo.

She removed her jacket and placed it over Caparzo's face. Jackson stepped up and told her to keep her jacket.

"He's gone. You don't have to do that. You're going to need that jacket." he said.

She grit her teeth. "I want to do this. It's the least bit of respect he deserves for his service."

Reiben and Sarge shook their heads and followed the captain. Upham gave Caparzo a small salute and walked on. Rox stood with a gray shirt underneath the jacket she had on. The rain stained it, making the color darker.

"Let's move." Miller called out.

They all followed in silence. Jackson bent down and yanked off Caparzo's tag from around his neck. He stared at it and put it in his pocket.

* * *

The group found an old church that had been blown up on its side. They took refuge inside and decided to get some rest for the night. Miller sat with Sarge by a small fire they had made. The rest of the men and Rox sat together, talking about Caparzo.

Reiben shook his head, bitterly. "When I get my hands on that Ryan kid, I'm gonna-"

"God Almighty, Reiben. Shut up. you're killing me." Jackson groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's not _me_ killing you, pal. It's Ryan. Caparzo's just the first, wait and see." Reiben replied.

Rox scratched her cheek. "And, you'll be next if you don't shut up about it. God, give it a rest."

"No one asked you, honey. Get some of your beauty sleep. You got two hours, but that's _something_."

Wade nudged Reiben and shook his head. "Ryan didn't kill Caparzo. A German sniper did."

"Might as well have been Ryan's finger on that trigger." Fish commented.

"That's enough. We move in two hours. Get some sleep." Miller ordered.

The men settled down in the debris except for Wade. He had started copying Caparzo's letter and sat in silence. Rox grabbed her helmet and went by the fire with Sarge and Miller. Jackson watched her as he laid down, exhausted and relaxing his muscles.

Rox rubbed her nose as she sat down by the small fire. Miller stared at her as he removed his jacket. Sarge glanced at the men, making eye contact with Upham. He watched as Miller placed his jacket on Rox's shoulders. She glanced up at him and just gave him a single nod.

He sat back down beside Sarge with a sigh. "I hope this boy Ryan is worth it."

Sarge looked at him. "You're kidding yourself. Hell of a mission."

Thunder crashed in the sky, causing Upham to tense. He laid on his back and stared at the church ceiling. It was cracked and not even white anymore. It was a dull gray and brown color.

A stained glass window caught his eye. Mary was painted on the window with only half of her body broken off. Sarge began to clean his teeth with his finger nail and Rox rolled her eyes. She glanced at the captain as he stated at his shaking hand.

"How long's your hand been shaking?" she asked.

"Couple of weeks."

"Is it getting worse?"

"No. It comes and goes. It stops when I look at it."

They both looked at his hand, and it had actually stopped shaking. She shifted in her seat and sighed through her nose.

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

"I don't know.

"You might need to find a new line of work. This doesn't...seem to agree with you anymore."

"I'll be alright." he said, glancing at her.

They looked at each other for a moment until she looked at the small fire. "You really shouldn't have talked about Caparzo the way you did."

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "I know that, okay? But, he should've followed orders."

"I know what the hell he should've done." she said, regretting her harsh tone. "But, he deserved a-"

"A what? Huh? A hymn or two with the clouds parting and angels looking down on him?"

She frowned. "That would've been gold compared to what he _got_."

Miller stared at her, wanting to be angry and say a good comeback. He shook his head and sighed.

"You're a good captain."

He blinked and looked at her. "What?"

She hesitated and repeated. "You're a good captain. You're not a good man, but I know you can be. It's in there somewhere."

He stared at her, not sure if he should laugh or take her seriously. Sarge watched, accepting that they had forgotten he was there. He leaned back quietly and closed his eyes, smirking.

Rox reached out and placed her hand on Miller's chest. Red flowed to his cheeks as his breathing got heavier.

"Yeah. In here somewhere." she whispered, running her hand from his chest to the side of his face.

"Rise and shine, boys!" he called out, suddenly.

She swallowed and stood to her feet. All the men got to their feet with several groans, shouldering their gear.

They moved on as the sky began to light up. Sarge walked by Reiben and Fish with a grin on his face.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" Fish asked Sarge.

Sarge grimaced. "With what?"

Fish chuckled and pointed at Miller and Rox, who were walking together up ahead. Sarge smirked and shook his head.

"No, but I sure as hell wish I did." he replied.

"He's already got the hook in her mouth. All he has to do now is reel her in, slowly but surely." Reiben said, spitting on the ground.

"Ain't that the truth?" Sarge laughed.

They continued until they reached a large bean field with other soldiers. Many were wounded and being treated. Wade walked over, trying to see if Ryan was one of them. Fish walked over to a few that were standing in the grass.

Miller and Rox approached Lieutenant Reinhart. "Sir, we're looking for Private James Ryan, Baker Company of the 508th."

Reinhart shrugged. "You got me, sir. A lot of guys have been in and out of here."

Miller nodded, disappointed and glanced at Wade. "Wade?"

"Not here, sir." he replied, holding a bandage in his hand.

"Do you have _anything_ that could help us out?" Miller asked Reinhart.

Reinhart snapped his fingers, remembering something. He handed Miller a sack of dog-tags and Miller handed it to Jackson.

"See if you can find him." he told Jackson.

Jackson nodded, walking away with the sack. "Yes, sir."

Reiben smiled, excitedly. "I'll help."

They all sat down and dumped the dog-tails onto the ground, looking for Ryan. Fish joined in, lighting a cigar.

"You think he's here?" he asked.

"Bet he is." Jackson replied.

"Bet I'll find him first." Fish spat.

The men started digging madly into the pile, as if it were a game. Rox helped Wade treating a man who had his eye bleeding. She handed him a gauze as he pressed onto his eye. She glanced over at the men as they dug into the pile of dog-tiles.

"Everyone good here?" she asked Wade.

Another soldier spoke for him. "Not, ma'am. We got tons more coming in."

She turned and saw a line of soldiers that were wounded and bleeding. They were miserable and broken. They turned and saw Miller's men digging through the dog-tails. One of the men in line, clutched his and kissed it.

Rox watched Jackson and the other laughing and cursing at each other as they looked.

"Screw you, he's mine." Reiben said.

"No use hiding, Ryan. We're onto you." Jackson muttered.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Fish sang.

"Ten bucks, I nail him first." Reiben spat.

"You're on." Jackson replied, gazing at a dog-tag in his hand.

"I got him!" Fish exclaimed, holding up a dog-tag.

Miller rushed over onto the grass and stood behind Fish. "James Francis?"

Fish reread the tag and paused. "Oh, wait. It's R-E-Y-E-S. Reyes, damn it. Close."

Reiben laughed. "Yeah, cut the crap, Fish."

Miller smiled and turned to see Sarge and Reinhart disgusted at them. Rox and Wade were also upset. Rox hurried over and snatched the dog-tag from Fish, kicking him on his side.

"Ow! What the _hell_ is wrong with you?' he groaned, standing up.

"You wanna keep it down, you freaking moron? There's men that are hurting here. And, you idiots aren't exactly cheering them up with your laughing and crap." she spat, glancing at Jackson.

Miller felt a hint of guilt and walked away. Fish wasn't finished. He took the dog-tag back from Rox and tossed it in the pile that they had already checked.

"You know, I'm getting real sick of your little attitude, Rox." he said, blowing smoke in her face.

She shrugged. "Well, you're going to have to deal with it for a while."

He gave her a small shove. "Get the hell out of my face, stupid _girl_."

"Hey! You wanna shut up, Fish, huh?" Sarge barked.

Fish hesitated but kept his glare on Rox. "Jesus, why are you even here, huh? All you do is scold us and try to woo the captain because you've never been laid."

Rox felt her cheeks burn with anger as she clenched her fists. "Shut up."

"You know it's true. That's why you're pissed. That's all women are good for, getting-"

She raised her hand and smacked him across the face. He stumbled back as Miller came between them.

"Hey! Calm down, you hear me?" he yelled, grabbing Rox's arm.

He dragged her aside as Jackson threw a dog-tag at Fish. "Serves you right, stupid."

Reiben chuckled. "Man, did you tell her off."

"She's right. Keep it down and cut the crap." Wade scolded.

Miller and Rox stopped in the middle of the grass as she drew her arm away from him. "Hey, look at me."

She folded her arms and shook her head. "No, you _listen_ to me, _sir_. Those guys don't have a hint of respect for me and I know you don't give a damn about it."

He grabbed her chin and spoke quietly. " _Look_ at me. You were right, okay? I shouldn't have said what I did about Caparzo and they shouldn't have been laughing over those dog-tags. Okay? You hear me?"

She slapped his hand away. "Oh, _now_ , you care. I'm sorry if I seem like a real pain, but..."

She shook her head and groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry. Okay? Is that what you dragged me over here for?"

He stared at her as a small wind blew across the field. The grass swayed with it and the clouds started to gather together.

"Okay." he mumbled. "But, don't be sorry about Fish. He deserved what he got."

She stared at him as he slightly smiled at her. They both turned when they heard Jackson speak up.

"He's not here, sir."

Miller groaned. "Jesus...what can we do?"


	3. Chapter 3

Almost as if by luck, a soldier came up and started telling Miller that he knew Ryan and had a pretty vague idea as to where he might be. Rox joined the rest of the men, sitting beside Jackson. He spit on the ground and lit a cigar.

"You see the girl they got here?" he asked.

She glanced at him. blankly. "Girl? No, where?"

"She was with Wade back up where they got the wounded. She got her leg blown off or something." he replied, blowing smoke from his mouth.

She stood up and looked out across the field. She squinted and saw Wade with a few other medics. Jackson saw her tension and patted her leg from where he sat.

"Rox, sit. She's gone."

Rox remained standing and grimaced. "Where was she stationed? Who was her captain? Where'd she go now?"

Jackson bit his lip. "Look, Rox, I'm sorry. I meant that she's dead."

Rox wiped her forehead and slowly sat back down. Jackson regretted bringing up the subject and looked away, towards Reiben and Mellish.

"You get her name?" she asked.

Jackson reached into his jacket and tossed her a dog-tag. Rox gasped and glanced down at it. She read the name aloud and Jackson smiled.

"Earnest, Mariah."

"I don't know if it's true, but one of her guys thought she said something about visiting Boston every year."

Rox's eyes lit up. "Boston..."

To think that this woman had visited where she was from brought her great joy, for some reason. She put the dog-tag on proudly. Gently, she placed a hand on Jackson's shoulder and thanked him.

"I knew you'd go nuts for it." he chuckled.

With a smirk, she said, "Yeah, well, I forgive you about the whole dog-tag thing, big pushover."

Miller approached them and the men, ordering them to pack up and keep moving.

* * *

The group continued across the grassy field as they past a few cows. Reiben lit a cigar but Rox snatched it from him.

"What the he-"

"Shut up." she hissed.

Miller overheard them and walked to her side. He followed her gaze and saw a large radar not far ahead. There were Germans there.

"Duck down." Miller ordered, quietly.

"Can I have that back?" Reiben asked Rox, angrily.

"You light this up and they'll see the smoke, you moron." she snapped.

All the men crowded behind a few trees and bushes as the captain took out a pair of binoculars. Rox squinted as she also tried to see.

"What do you see, Cap?" Sarge whispered as he sat by him.

"Machine gun. Probably MG42." Captain Miller replied.

"Jesus." Mellish breathed, shaking his head.

They all sat in the grass, exhausted. Jackson chewed gum as he sat by Upham and Fish. Wade stayed by Rox and Sarge as Miller began giving orders.

"I say we detour, quick and quiet, they won't even know we were here." Reiben said, rubbing his nose.

Upham, Fish, and Jackson nodded in agreement and glanced at Miller. He ignored them as he began to remove his jacket. Reiben knew that look on his face.

"So, captain, what I'm trying to say is: Why don't we just go around the thing?" he asked.

"I hear what you're saying," Miller sighed. "But, we can't go around it."

Jackson twisted his jaw and nodded. "I'm with Reiben on this one, sir."

Rox looked at him in disbelief. "Well, that's a surprise."

"I'm with Jackson, sir. We can still go around the thing and complete our mission." Fish spoke up. "I mean, _this_ isn't our mission, right, sir?"

Miller looked up at him, panting. "That's what you wanna d, Mellish? Just leave it here so it can ambush the next company that comes along."

Fish closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, sir. What I'm trying to say is...it seems like an unnecessary risk, given our objective."

Miller stared at him, deeply. "Our objective is to win the war."

Everyone was silent for a moment and Fish lowered his eyes.

Reiben spoke up again. "Sir, I just...I just don't have a good feeling about this one."

He was serious. They all heard the concerned tone in his voice. Miller looked at all of them, as if he was waiting for some support.

"When was the last time you felt good about anything." he mumbled, heading off.

They all looked at each other and got up to follow across the grass. Quietly, they hurried and glanced at the radar, making sure no one saw them. Miller crouched dow and the other did the same. Jackson spit out his gum and paid close attention.

"Alright, three runners with suppressing fire. Mellish, you hook the right. I'll go up the middle." Miller panted, quietly. "Who's going left?"

Silence.

Miller glanced at each of them and a few looked away. He grimaced at that. "Who's going _left_?"

More silence and awkward stares. Reiben spit and wiped his mouth. Miller looked at Sarge, but he looked away.

"I'll do it."

They all glanced at Rox as she spit in the grass. Jackson looked at her. "No, I'll do it. I'll go left."

Miller looked between each of them and shook his head. "Can you decide, please? You know what? Screw it. Rox said she'd go, Jackson."

"Cap, she's running-"

" _Can_ it, Jackson." Rox spat.

"Alright. Upham, switch off with Jackson. He's going to need that gun." Miller ordered, pointing at Upham.

Upham adjusted his helmet and nodded. He and Jackson switched guns and crouched back into their spots.

"We advance and keep pressure on them." Miller continued. "I think we should be able to hit them from grenade range."

Sarge swallowed and stared at Miller. "Maybe I should go up the middle, sir."

Miller placed a grenade in his pocket. "The way _you_ run, I don't think so."

Rox glanced at Sarge and back to Miller. "Maybe he could just come left behind me. And, maybe, Jackson can cover us."

Miller glanced at her, irritated. "Maybe you should _shut_ up."

Upham and Sarge stared at him with shock. Rox put a serious face and reloaded her gun. Miller looked at each of them carefully and nodded.

"Let's go."

They all took a deep breath and hurried towards the radar. Ahead were piled of debris and dead cows lying on the ground. Shots were fired and the fighting began. Upham stumbled behind a cow and ducked. Sarge fired as he ran up the hill. Rox fired with Jackson behind, covering her.

Several explosions were heard and smoke was everywhere along with debris.

"Rox, get down!" Jackson yelled as he dragged her to the ground.

She screamed as an explosion occurred right behind them. She covered her head with both hands and quickly got back to her feet.

"Come on, move!" she yelled.

Reiben shot one man down and ducked behind the pile of dirt and ashes. He was breathing heavily as Rox and Jackson hid with him. They panted aloud and glanced over the dirt once in a while.

"Where the _hell_ is Upham? He get shot?" Reiben asked, quietly.

"I thought he was with you." Jackson replied, sniffing.

Rox reached into her pocket and pulled the ring off a grenade. "Steady."

She tossed it over and covered her ears. Suddenly, it was thrown back a few feet from them Reiben gasped and swore aloud. Jackson shielded Rox from the debris as the grenade went off. Reiben covered his ears and glanced at Jackson.

"You okay?" he asked.

Jackson nodded as the madness quieted down. Rox looked over the dirt as she heard Miller's voice.

"Upham! Get the kit and get up here!"

They spotted Upham carrying to backpacks up the hill. Rox glanced at Jackson, worried. "Who's hit?"

"Come on." he replied, rushing up the hill.

Reiben and Rox followed as they saw the rest of the group circled around someone. She heard Wade mumbling words and panicking. Fish held his face in his hands and spoke calmly. Miller watched as Sarge opened a gauze and grabbed morphine.

"H-How's it look? How's it look? Oh, Jesus..." Wade mumbled.

Rox stared in pure horror as blood seemed to pump from Wade's chest. It slowly rose from his mouth, gargling his voice.

"Wade, you're going to be fine, okay?" Fish asked.

"Put legs...put my legs up. Wade kept repeating.

They began wiping the wound as Upham glanced around, keeping guard. Rox just stood as she saw them treating the wound.

"I got him, I got him." Sarge said, wiping the blood.

"Upham, give me a canteen." Fish said, sharply.

Upham gave it to him and he poured the water over the wound. Rox and Miller made eye contact, and he shook his head.

"Don't watch this." he mouthed.

But, she couldn't look away. Wade kept mumbling and gasping for breath. "How's it look? How's it..?"

"Wade, you're gonna be okay." Miller said, looking down at him.

"Put some pressure on it. Easy, easy, easy." Jackson said.

Wade began coughing up blood.

"Put some damn pressure on it." Reiben said, placing his hand over the wound.

They all placed their hands on Wade's chest as he kept coughing, bitterly. Rox felt a tear go down her cheek as they all pressed down on his chest.

Uphan slowly knelt down and spoke softly. "What can we do, Wade? How can we fix you?"

"What can we do, Wade? Tell us what to do." Miller said, nodding.

Fish wiped the blood from Wade's mouth and gently shushed him as his breathing increased.

"I c-could use a little...more morphine." he said, trembling.

Jackson glanced at the captain and whispered, "More morphine, sir..."

Miller stared at Wade and slowly nodded. He glanced at Sarge and said, "Give it to him."

Sarge slowly obeyed and stabbed Wade's leg with a small needle. Wade started shaking and crying. "I don't...I don't wanna die."

Fish gently shushed him. "It's okay, Wade. I got you."

"It's okay." Reiben said, quietly.

They all stared in silence as Wade kept breathing and sniffing. Upham turned and looked at Rox. He put a hand on her shoulder, slowly pushing her away.

"Rox, come on. You don't need to see this." he mumbled.

She stood firmly where she was, shaking her head. "I gotta."

Wade started to calm down and glance at the gray sky. It wasn't even clear or blue, but it seemed to catch his attention. Fish looked up as well along with Reiben.

"Mama..? Mama..." Wade whimpered.

Rox shut her and and pursed her lips. Upham shushed her and wrapped his arms around her. Finally, he stopped mumbling and breathing. The men were silent, keeping their hands pressed onto his chest. Wade mouth hung open as Fish hung his head. Captain Miller reached into Wade's front pocket and pulled out Caparzo's letter that he had copied.

He rose to his feet and walked off a few feet away. Reiben hurried up and ran towards a man he saw. He raised his gun and whacked the man's helmet off. Jackson ran up the hill to help hold the German down.

Rox pulled away from Upham, drying her tears. He said nothing as she walked away and climbed over a piece of broken cement. She crouched down and held her knees close to her chest.

She shut her eyes, remembering Wade's eyes in her mind. Tears came pouring down her cheeks and she tried to cover her mouth to cry in silence. A sniff and a shift of dirt made her look up. She sat up and saw Miller putting Caparzo's letter in his jacket. He brought his fist to his mouth and started to cry.

Rox sat back down and wiped her cheeks, angrily. Miller's cries weren't loud, but she heard them.

 _"...it seems like an unnecessary risk, given our objective, sir,"_

 _"I don't have a good feeling about this one, sir."_

She heard Miller get to his feet and she did the same. She rose faster than she expected and she made eye contact with Miller. He stared at her and wiped his nose. She stared into his blue eyes as he motioned for her to come. He held out his hand and lifted her chin.

"I'm glad...you were there. That you...you saw.." he whispered.

She nodded. "I am too."

Without another word, they walked back to the men and the German they had captured. He and Upham were sitting together as they approached. The German quickly picked up a shovel he was using and continued digging Wade's grave. All the men surrounded the grave as Reiben and Fish aimed their guns at him.

"Please..." the German pleaded. "I like America. Fancy shamncy! Go fly a kite!"

He yelled as he continued digging. The men stared at him coldly, ignoring his words. He glanced at Rox as she knelt down to yank the shovel away. He grabbed her jacket collar and began to plead in German. Miller tensed as Reiben aimed his gun.

"Hey!" he barked.

"Please...please, girl, I like America!" the German begged.

She scolded him in German and Upham raised his eyebrows. "You understand him?"

"Thank two weeks of being a POW with a German for that. And, my high school teacher." she spat.

The German began petting her cheek with his dirty hand and pleading with her again and again. He fingers went over her lips and Miller lost it. He grabbed the back of the man's collar and dragged him away from her. Upham followed and stared at the man.

"He says he's sorry about Wade, sir." he said, calmly.

Miller ignored him and dragged him away. Upham and the rest of them followed.

"Captain! Cap, this isn't right. You know this." Upham repeated.

Rox followed behind Upham. "He surrendered. This isn't right."

Miller ignored them and tied a blindfold around the man's eyes. Rox shook her head as Miller aimed his gun at the German.

"He _surrendered,_ John."

Captain Miller paused and looked at her. Upham looked at her in shock, as did Jackson and Sarge. Reiben and Fish shook their head in disagreement.

"Tell him...to march 1,000 steps in _that_ direction and turn himself in. We'll be gone by then." Miller said.

Reiben scoffed and turned away. Upham thanked him and translated the message to the German.

"You gotta be kidding me. We're lettin' him go?" Reiben asked.

"He's a POW, Reiben. We can't take him with us." Miller replied.

They all watched as Upham led the man away. Rox wiped her forehead from sweat and glanced at Miller. Reiben placed his gun over his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Captain...you just let the enemy go." he said.

Miller stared as the German walked off and Upham stared. Fish shook his head as he also watched.

"This is such bull-"

"You think you're the only one who thinks that?" Reiben asked him.

"You got that right." Jackson agreed.

Upham shook his head. "You think this is bull? That's what you think?"

"Upham, shut your mouth." Reiben said.

"It's against the goddamn rules!" Upham snapped.

"Yeah? Well, the goddamn rules just walked off with your new friend."

Upham turned as he took one final look at the German. Reiben glanced back Miller, shaking his head. "But, I guess that was the, uh, decent thing to do, huh, Cap?"

Miller ignored him. "Get your gear."

He walked to the side and removed his helmet, catching his breath. Sarge gave Reiben the men a look as they didn't move an inch.

"Gear up. The captain just gave you an order." he said, strictly.

"Yeah, like the one he gave when we marched up this death trap." Reiben spat.

"You are way out of line." Rox said.

Reiben ignored her and approached Miller. "Yes, sir. That was one hell of call, taking this nest. I bet Mama Ryan's _really_ happy that little Jimmy's life is more important than _two_ of our guys!"

His voice slowly raised and Rox slapped his shoulder hard. "You better _shut_ the hell up!"

He pushed her. "I do whatever the _hell_ I want, sweetheart!"

"Yeah? You think that's what makes you a man?"

He nodded. "A man's worth a hell of a lot more than you think, honey."

"I'll bet they are. But, you aren't even a man, so why do the math?"

His face hardened and he grabbed her shoulders."What the _hell_ did you say?"

Jackson tensed up and yelled, "Hey!"

"Let go of me, you coward." she spat.

Reiben began to shake her as he spoke. "Shut up. Just shut up for one goddamn _second_!"

She spit in his face and he drew back. "Son of a.."

He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her to the ground. Sarge charged towards them as Reiben held her down. He laid her on her stomach and held his hand against her cheek.

"Say something else, I _dare_ you!" he barked.

She panted. "Reiben, get-!"

His hand went over her mouth. "Shut up!"

Sarge grabbed him and threw him off of her. "Get off me!"

"Reiben, get up and gear up." Sarge said, calmly.

Reiben stood and looked Sarge in the eye as they stood face-to-face. He glanced at Miller and Rox as she got up.

"I'm done with this mission." Reiben whispered, bitterly.

Sarge looked at Miller and ran after Reiben. "Hey! Hey! Don't walk away from your captain. Reiben, get back in line!"

Reiben grabbed his backpack without any care in the world. "No, sir. I'll spend the rest of my life in a stockade if I have to, but I'm done with this."

Sarge reached back and pulled out a handgun. "I'm not gonna ask you again."

Upham stood in-between them and looked at Sarge. "Sir...sir, please."

Reiben didn't even bat an eyelash. "You gonna shoot me over Ryan?"

Sarge smiled. "No, I'm gonna shoot you because I don't like you."

Upham looked at Miller. "Sir!"

Jackson shook his head and pointed at Reiben. "Hey, if he wants to go, let him go."

Upham rushed over to Miller and began pleading with him. "Sir, are you gonna let this happen? Are you seeing this?"

Rox stared at Miller, shaking her head. "You're just gonna stand there?"

Upham rushed over to Miller, desperately. "Sir, listen to me. Ryan's dead, sir."

"Shut up, Fish. You don't know that." Rox snapped.

"I know he's dead. I can feel it! I have a sixth sense that tells me these things." Fish assured her.

"You don't have _any_ feelings, Fish." she scoffed.

Miller watched all the voices get louder and all the men argue. Rox walked up to him and spoke gently.

"John, listen to me. You have to stop this. You hear me?" she asked.

When he gave her no response, she groaned aloud and marched towards Reiben and Sarge, angrily. Upham continued reasoning with him as Fish kept blabbing.

"You can't kill that damn guy but you can kill me?" Reiben asked Sarge.

"Yeah. He's better than you." Sarge chuckled.

"Well, then, why don't you just do it, Sarge? Put one in my leg!"

"I'm gonna shoot you in the goddamn mouth!"

"Well, put your money where your mouth is and do it!"

"Captain, listen do this!"

"Hey, shut up! You hear me?"

"Would you boys stop it? You're just making this bigger than it needs to be, you got that?"

"Sarge, just let him go! He's nothing here and all he does is run his mouth!"

"No one ask you! You don't even-"

"No, _you_ don't even listen to the words coming out of your own mouth!"

"You don't know when to shut up, do you?"

"Pull the trigger, Sarge! Do it! I swear to God!"

"Captain, please!"

Miller glanced at Sarge and spoke aloud. "Hey, Sarge? What's the pull on me up to?"

Sarge stared at him, blankly.

"What is it? Three hundred dollars?" Miller asked, glancing at Upham and Rox. "I'm a schoolteacher. I teach English Composition."

Rox and Jackson looked at each other and back at the captain. "These past eleven years, I've been in Pennsylvania. Teaching at a high school for eleven years. Sometimes, I see that I've changed so much. I wonder if...anyone will recognize me when I get back."

Jackson put his gun away as he listened. Rox closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Ryan...uh, I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. It means nothing to me, it's just a name. But, if finding him gets me back home..."

He glanced at Rox and sighed. "...if it gets me home...with _you_ , Roxanne Mitchell, as my wife, then...then, that's my mission."

Rox's jaw hung open as Jackson looked at her and Miller. Miller just nodded and said, "Yes, I mean that. Every damn word."

He turned and walked over to Reiben. "You wanna leave, Reiben? Alright, alright. I won't stop you."

Reiben stared at the ground.

"I'll put in the paperwork. Just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel."

He walked up the hill to Wade's body. Slowly, he bent down and grunted as he dragged it towards the grave. Jackson walked up to help, along with Sarge and Upham. Fish stared at Rox, shaking his head and smiling. They both walked up and helped bury Wade.

Reiben shook his head and sighed through his nose. He walked up and grabbed the shovel to started putting the dirt over the body. They worked together in silence as the sun was setting. The sky was a dull yellow and a small breeze blew against their faces.


End file.
